Why is it stressful to be a Witness?

by Mindchild 12 Replies latest jw friends

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  Mindchild

  I would honestly appreciate any feedback of why, in simple terms, you feel there are stresses to being a Witness. The source of stress you have in mind doesn't have to be gigantic. I'm looking to catalog a list of all the things causing stress to Witnesses.

  Here is a list of ten things I could think of, and there are probably many more.

  1. Where is Armageddon?
  2. What happened to the generation now living?
  3. Why is the work slowing down?
  4. Shunning.
  5. Imbalance of sexes in congregations (2/3 women)
  6. The number of unhappy Witnesses
  7. Hypocrisy of some congregations
  8. Child molesters in congregations
  9. Restrictions on Freedom.
  10. Voluntary oath of poverty being a Witness.

  All great deeds and all great thoughts have ridiculous beginnings--Albert Camus
• 

  HadEnuf

  1. Going door to door and hating it.
  2. Self-righteousness.
  3. Wearing pantyhose.
  4. Giving talks.
  5. Trying to keep your kids quiet at meetings.
  6. Cleaning the men's restroom.
  7. Spending money you really could use elsewhere to go to conventions.
  8. Going to conventions.
  9. Dealing with obnoxious elders & elderettes with low i.q's.
  10. Realizing after being a JW for over 40 years that anyone who isn't baptized is an UNBELIEVER. Oh for crying out loud...how can you believe in Jehovah and Christ and be an unbeliever? Can you say ISSUES!!!!!!!!!!!
• 

  Marilyn

  The treatmill of trying to live up to their expectations of you.

  Living with in a community where everyone knows your business. Or peer group pressure.

  The endless juggling of time to fit in meetings, study, service, work, home maintanance, and recreation.

  The tedium of meetings. Or coping with the same old, same old.

  Constant disappointment at the un christian behavior of other witnesses.
• 

  Scorpion

  11.Constant demands made on their time, emotions, and self control.
  12.Fear of not living up to the organizations expectations.
  13.The stress of having to go to meeting after meeting, hour after hour, week after week, year after year and listen to basically the same repetitious ideas.
  14.Being looked at as different or strange by school and work mates.
  15.The stress of having to fart at the Kingdom Hall in the middle of a crowded meeting.
• 

  Scorpion

  Marilyn,

  You posted your message while I was typing mine. I did not see yours till after I posted. We said about the same thing, almost!
• 

  Thomas Poole

  1. If you are blue collar worker, you change clothes more often than anyone in the world.
  2. If your child is visually dyslexic, you are always wondering why they don't pay attention to the readings or won't read.
  3. to always be available.
  4. to always be prepared to answer up.
  5. to always be on time.
  6. to talk about Noah's ark for 50th time.
  7. to go in field service at 20 below zero in Minnesota.
  8. to tolorate others who are stupid and prideful at the same time.
  9. if you are a single publisher and an adult, you have no common friends.
  10. to deal with competition among members.
  11. to always get a lot time in.
  12. to lower your vocabulary.
  13. to never be real like a communist sparrow.
  14. to raise your hand, but not be called on because they had something against you.
  15. to dumb down your life and your aspirations.
  16. I was never able to be viewed as a non-person.
  17. I was never able to be invisible.
  18. Some kind of trouble always found me.

  If I think about it, Satan certainly had a lot going on in those places.
• 

  Cassiline

  I believe the children put up with so much stress due to the pressures put on them by the society. Cant associate with "wordly" friends, cant celebrate holidays, brthdays etc...

  They are shunned by there peers in the world which makes for a very rough childhood and also shunned by those in the halls who may be of a particular class. And when they rebel as all children do when put under such stresses they are threatened with disfellowshipping, losing their entire family and friends they may have in the borg.

  This is what I refer to as the spiritual rape of JW children for they are not allowed to express themselves and when they try they are FORCED to do something they dont want to. This to appease an adult who's stringent enforcement of a fantasy of everlasting life on earth causes those children to take their own live because of not knowing the right path to thier innerself and peace, because they were never allowed to explore their own ideals.

  C

  When the pain of being where we are, becomes greater than our fear of letting go...we will risk and heal and grow.
• 

  jst2laws

  NEVER BEING GOOD ENOUGH.

  Jst2laws
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  Marilyn

  Scorpion, but I forgot the most obvious one. The fart problem!!!! Boy did I let out a big one when I got home from 10 yrs at the hall!!!!

  Marilyn
  ps interesting that we picked the same things eh?? Clearly we suffered from the same WT inadequacies!!!
• 

  larc

  I think just2laws hit on the biggest one.

  Also, having to conform and be like everyone else. Not allowing the expression of individual talents through sports, education, the arts, or career advancement. Those who do are "humbled."